When cooled below a certain critical temperature, some materials become perfect conductors. This phenomena is known as superconductivity and was first successfully described by Bardeen, Cooper and Schrieffer in 1957 (now known as BCS theory). Electrons form cooper pairs and undergo phonon interactions with the metallic lattice.

These slides give an overview of metallic structure and conduction. The concept of a crystal lattice is also introduced, in addition to the method of x-ray diffraction (pioneered by William and William Bragg) which was used to determine the crystal structure of metals.

Before the widespread use of semiconductors, it was possible to compute data electronically using thermionic devices such as valves. These had a number of of functional inadequacies and were eventually superseded by the more compact and reliable solid state alternatives (transistors, diodes and integrated circuits).

The slides outline this progression, including the transition from germanium to silicon.

These slides provide an introduction to semiconductors, beginning with energy levels and the formation of energy bands in solid materials (conduction band, valance band). Conductors, insulators and semiconductors are compared in terms of their band structure. The effect of dopant atoms on the electrical properties of semiconductors is also mentioned (p-type, n-type).

MRI is an expensive but impressive imaging technique which has become widely used. Its ability to resolve soft tissue supersedes other imaging techniques. These slides outline the physical basis of MRI, including the concepts of spin, precession, the Larmor frequency, resonance and relaxation time.

The rapidly expanding field of nuclear medicine involves the insertion of radioactive substances into the patient. These may be attached to various pharmaceuticals, and the location of the isotope is recorded using gamma detectors. PET scans utilise isotopes which undergo beta + decay. The antiparallel gamma photons resulting from the electron-positron annihilation is recorded by the detector.

Theses slides outline the use of radioisotopes in both conventional and PET nuclear imaging.